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| Anything goes: Exclusive MMAmania.com interview with UFC welterweight Jon Fitch Posted: 09 Jun 2008 08:38 AM CDT
UFC fans have a hard time agreeing on many topics, but almost all of them will agree on one thing. Jon Fitch is due. The former University of Purdue wrestling standout is now a staggering 8-0 in the Octagon (17-2 overall) and has finally secured his chance to become the top 170-pound fighter in the world. In less than two months, Fitch will face UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on August 9. And it’s been a long time coming. I asked the son-of-a-Fitch about his thoughts on fellow welterweight Thiago Alves, how his personality fits in with today’s MMA and why we’ll see a different Jon Fitch when he finally faces GSP for the UFC welterweight title. Check it all out and more after the jump.
Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Okay let’s just get right to it. How does it feel to finally get your title shot? Jon Fitch: Dude I’m soooo pumped. It’s like starting in this sport all over again. I love everything about this sport: The excitement, the love - that burn. I’m back in the gym putting in 8-12 hour days. It’s such a huge fight and the first time in a while that I’ve been a huge underdog. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): And now you’re fighting Georges St. Pierre (GSP) at UFC 87. How did it finally come about? Jon Fitch: It was something I was pushing for. Everybody was talking about it. We knew the fight was going to happen, we just weren’t sure when. I was keeping my fingers crossed, hoping nothing crazy would happen. No freak injuries or anything to prevent it from coming together. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Was there ever a point where you felt a little complacent in your career, especially after racking up so many wins and not being considered for a title shot? Jon Fitch: I have a good attitude about that kind of stuff, I’m always pretty positive. When they offer me a fighter I’m just like “Yeah, alright.” I just move forward and prepare for that fight. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Going into a fight how much of it is “Yeah this is my job” vs. “Holy crap - I’m living my dream“? Jon Fitch: 90% is “I’m living my dream“. Easily. Sometimes it feels like a job when you get on those Internet boards and listen to people and their retarded opinions. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Speaking of opinions, my last interview with Diego Sanchez yielded a lot of unkind words about your performance in that fight. Why do you think Diego is so hung up over that fight? Jon Fitch: I think part of that is him just trying to get back into the limelight because I know he wants to fight Josh [Koscheck] again. He wants it to become a back-and-forth kind of thing where we respond, then it gets nasty, then it becomes an Internet thing. I understand what he’s doing but he had a different story right after the fight. He wants to protect himself, I mean it was a good fight but I won. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Is he obsessed with Koscheck? Jon Fitch: Yeah, he might be a little obsessed with Koscheck. There is an underlying hate between those two and they should fight again. I know Josh wouldn’t mind doing it again. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): What do you tell the fans who question your place in this division? I know for a lot of them your loss at the hands of GSP is kind of a foregone conclusion. Jon Fitch: That’s showing a clear ignorance to what they know about this sport. Most people don’t even know half the guys I’ve fought. They can’t even list more than three guys I’ve fought. Seriously, if you can’t name ten of my opponents, then you have no idea what you’re talking about. Go through my record. See who I’ve fought and then look at some of the people they’ve fought. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Like Thiago Alves. Jon Fitch: I can’t believe a lot of people are saying Thiago Alves deserves a title shot before I do. Hello people? I fought Thiago and I won. A lot of people don’t even know I’ve beaten him because you never see fights like that on TV. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you think that’s done to protect guys who are up-and-coming like Thiago? Jon Fitch: I don’t know why they choose not to show certain fights. It was an exciting fight. My first UFC fight with Brock Larson was also an exciting fight. They constantly show the Luigi Fioravanti fight and the Roan Carniero fight. Even the Diego fight doesn’t get replayed. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): A lot of fans are hung up on names. Do you think if you had a win over a big name such as Matt Hughes the fans would be more willing to consider you as a serious contender? Jon Fitch: Of course, I mean Hughes is one of the most successful champions in UFC history so you’ll get a lot of credit for that. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you feel obligated or is there pressure from the UFC to try and be a personality when so much of today’s business is pay-per-view driven? Would you be further along if you were more colorful like a Tito Ortiz type or tried to trash a guy to sell a fight? Jon Fitch: I don’t think so at all. Half of the time when you try to hype a fight or be some character you end up sounding like an idiot becomes it comes across as forced. Some of the guys like Rampage are that character so it works, but some of these other guys I don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Just bring it to the cage and let that be who you are. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Let’s say you manage to win the welterweight title. Do you think you could be a marketable champion? Jon Fitch: I think so. Honestly I’ve held back a lot of who I am, a lot of my personality and what I do and say because I was pissed off about getting left at the fucking airport. You know, that “something” that makes you a little bit bitter when you see the success all these other guys get and you’re right there, then you get kicked right back into the gutter out of nowhere. I was a little bitter about that for awhile. I was like “Oh I don’t have a personality? Well okay then you’re not going to get a personality out of me”. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Now that you have a chance to change all of that, how will you prepare for GSP? Jon Fitch: Pretty much the same approach as always, but you will definitely see a different type of fighter when I face him. It’s going to be above and beyond what people have seen from me in other fights. It has to be in order to beat GSP. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): What is the emphasis on? For example are you focusing on striking, jiu-jitsu, etc. Jon Fitch: I’m just going to be ready for everything but with a little extra sprinkle of nasty on it. Plus he’s got to deal with the incredible good looks of somebody from Indiana. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you believe guys like Pete Sell that label him as a mental case when it comes to fighting? That he needs a pre-fight shrink? Jon Fitch: I don’t know. I don’t really know the guy. You never know what’s going on inside someone’s head before a fight. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Did you expect him to run through Matt Serra the way he did in their rematch? Jon Fitch: Yeah, I called that fight exactly how it happened except it ended a round earlier than I predicted. I figured Serra would be a little more durable and he did try to do all the right things but GSP just shut him down. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Do you think that having Josh Koscheck help you train for this fight is a distinct advantage? Despite the loss, Kos was able to take GSP to the scorecards, something only three other people were able to do. Jon Fitch: Yeah it’s a big thing. My camp, my people were able to come up with a strategy to give GSP all he could handle. Josh got out-wrestled. He didn’t get beat up, he didn’t get hurt and he wasn’t tired. It’s a huge advantage. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Aside from training, I understand you’ve been doing a lot of charitable work like visiting wounded war veterans at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. What was that like? Jon Fitch: One of our sponsors brought us out there to help improve the turnout for the job fairs they were holding. They set those up for post-war veterans to assist with career placement but the turnout had been low so they asked Josh and I to pitch in and they ended up with double the people they expected. It was hard though, hearing stories about these guys on their way to recovery talk about getting their freakin’ body parts torn off in battle. It was insane. When a guy comes up to you with one arm and one leg and starts giving you props for being tough enough to get in the cage and fight it’s like “Dude - you just got fucking blown up - don’t be giving me ANY kind of admiration.” Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Where would you be without fighting? Jon Fitch: Pulling my hair out! Seriously though I would probably be teaching. I would be a damn good high school wrestling coach - and a merely average high school gym teacher. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): And for fun? Jon Fitch: That’s a strange transition. I had to give up all my hobbies. Now my hobbies are boxing and jiu-jitsu. In between fights I just try and polish my skills - though I will be trying to surf this summer. Trying. I’ve been out there a few times like when I went to Vietnam. I’m not great. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Uh, what were you doing in Vietnam Colonel Braddock? Jon Fitch: Visiting my girlfriend’s family. Her mother left 30 years ago with bullets behind her. She is one of those people - she’s fucking gangster. We’re going to see her, help out some orphanages and maybe the school for the blind. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): So I guess you guys are pretty tight if you’re going to Vietnam together. Jon Fitch: Yeah, we’ve been together about four years. When you find a good one you’ve gotta keep 'em around. She supports my fighting and she loved me when I was poor and had nothing. I remember traveling to compete. She was like “You’re a fighter? Ok, sure whatever.” Then one day I pop up in the UFC and she was like “What the hell?” Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Can she watch you fight or is it too hard for her? Jon Fitch: It’s hard, but I give her a pre-fight allowance so that she can get a couple of drinks. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Nice. Well that pretty much does it for me. Anything you would like to promote? Jon Fitch: The fight with GSP! It’s going to be the best fight anyone has ever seen. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): That’s a bold statement. Jon Fitch: Very bold. We’re going to fucking throw down and it’s going to be a war. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Is he in for a surprise? Jon Fitch: Everyone is. I’ve only displayed about 35% of my potential technique in all of my fights. Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com): Are you holding out on us? Jon Fitch: A little bit! It’s not necessary to give everything to get the win and I don’t want to show all my cards. But this is for the title. Fuck that. I’ve got 25 minutes to make it happen - anything goes! |
| Brandon Vera: ‘That ref sucks…. I understand why Fabricio doesnt want to fight me again’ (Video) Posted: 09 Jun 2008 08:13 AM CDT |
| UFC Quick Quote: Michael Bisping is on a mission Posted: 09 Jun 2008 07:52 AM CDT
– Michael Bisping tells the LancashireEveningTelegraph.com that he is gunning for UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. “The Count” has two fights in eight weeks at 185 pounds and has looked tremendous in both bouts. He most recently defeated Jason Day at UFC 85: “Bedlam” this past weekend at the O2 Arena in London, England, via first round technical knockout. |
| Sengoku 3: Yoshida, Wiuff victorious Posted: 08 Jun 2008 10:07 PM CDT
Also on the card, Japanese wrestling star and popular heavyweight Kazuyuki Fujita (15-7) went from “Iron Head” to iron lung after getting knocked in the first round out by the suddenly resurgent Travis “Diesel” Wiuff (53-11). The usually durable Fujita is just 3-3 in his last six fights and fans were disappointed with his early exit. Wiuff on the other hand has won nine straight and averages an impressive eight fights per year. Former UFC heavyweight and Abu Dhabi standout Marcio “Pe De Pano” Cruz (4-2) made quick work of Korea’s Mu Bae Choi (7-3) after submitting the Team Tackle wrestler via rear naked choke in the first round. The Sengoku 3 event kind of took place under the radar, as its lack of press and pre-fight hype left a lot of fans surprised that an event was even taking place. Apparently it was a big secret overseas as well, since the usually rockin’ Saitama Super Arena was only half full. Here are the Sengoku 3 complete results: -Hidehiko Yoshida defeated Maurice Smith by Submission (Neck Crank) at 2:23, R1 Thanks to MMAmania.com reader “Macho Bullshit” for his macho bullshit. |
| UFC 85 recap of ‘Bedlam’ and final thoughts Posted: 08 Jun 2008 08:00 PM CDT
But that didn’t stop it from being an absolute treat to watch. The main card fights delivered. In fact, this writer was a perfect 0-5 in our prefight predictions, preview and analysis post. I’ll chalk that up to solid match-making and evenly-matched fighters and not a case of total retardedness. And, after taking some time to check out the preliminary bouts, it’s clear that UFC 85 had solid action from bottom to top. Put simply, it was a good card. In the main event of the evening, Thiago Alves tooled Matt Hughes much like Georges St. Pierre did at UFC 79: “Nemesis.” Hughes looked slow and was unable to execute his gameplan at all. He telegraphed his shots and couldn’t keep the Brazilian down even when he was able to secure the takedown. Alves found his groove in the second frame and lit up the former champion like a Marley-sized spliff. It actually reminded me of Ken Shamrock getting thrashed by Tito Ortiz at UFC 61: “Bitter Rivals.” Here’s the deal: Hughes deserves a tremendous amount of credit for doing essentially everything that is asked of him. He’s like that best friend who you know will always help you move, paint the house or bail you out of jail at 4 a.m. the morning of his daughter’s baptism. He’ll never say no. But there comes a time when you’ve got to stop asking him to do you favors. And that’s exactly what UFC President Dana White needs to do. Throughout the press conference Hughes directed all the questions about his future to White. Why? It’s time for Hughes to cash-in on all the goodwill he’s provided throughout his years of service. He should call the shots from here on out. Hughes has a fight with Matt Serra essentially guaranteed. He should take that fight and then perhaps one more against a guy like Dennis Hallman. Hopefully, he can get some revenge, pad his pockets and ride into the sunset and go out to stud on his farm in class. As for Alves, he looked fantastic. Even though he claims an injured ankle is the reason he didn’t make weight, it’s still reprehensible. There’s no way White and Co. can trust him to headline another show for possibly a championship until he proves he can hit 170 pounds without any problems. I’d say give him Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick or Diego Sanchez next. In fact, a showdown with the “Nightmare” would be a great way to get him back in the spotlight after a disappointing 2007 fight campaign and possibly a win over a top guy like Alves.
In the co main event, Michael Bisping simply outclassed and outworked an overmatched Jason Day. “The Count” looks great at 185 pounds and is actually closer than we think to a title shot. If he can defeat Chris Leben in his next bout — and then perhaps someone like Thales Leites — then it would be hard to argue that he is undeserving. Either that or give him the winner of Patrick Cote and Ricardo Almeida — that would be a big step toward a bout with Anderson Silva sometime soon. Day showed a ton of heart last night, but he was totally dominated in every aspect of the bout. He got some nice notoriety for taking this fight, which he can hopefully use to his advantage to come back stronger. Perhaps a full-time commitment to training would be the answer that gets Day over the top. Mike Swick looked sharp and “quick” during his welterweight showdown with Marcus Davis. It was a far cry from that trainwreck that was his 170-pound debut against Josh Burkman. The long reach and wirey frame of the former middleweight contender were really visible against the “Irish Hand Grenade.” Swick was able to use it and basically do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to do it. In addition, his aggressive approach was also visible, which is a Swick trademark. He seems to be on the road back and he wasn’t given any cream puffs to ensure his welterweight experience was a successful one. Expect more of the same going forward. Davis has now returned to Earth after a cosmic mind boggling 12-fight win streak. He needed this win to prove that he belonged in the top contender discussions. It’s hard to predict where he will go from here. He is still an exciting and talented fighter who can end a fight at literally any second. Davis needs to continue fighting the upper echelon of the division … why not Karo Parisyan in August? Perhaps that’s too soon but you get the idea. Thales Leites proved once again that he can endure a drubbing and hang with the best at 185 pounds. He did it against Martin Kampmann at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Finale back in 2006 and he did it again last night against Nate Marquardt. And this time he came away with the win. Sure, Marquardt received two point deductions — one for an illegal knee to the head of a downed opponent and another lame one for an illegal blow to the back of the head (video replay proved otherwise). Still, that knee put Leites on queer street and he still decided to soldier on. He could have very well said he couldn’t continue rather than continuing to get punched in the face really hard. Marquardt threw everything at him but the kitchen sink bout still couldn’t put him away. And Leites did some damage of his own with some surprising stand up improvements. This was an action-packed three-round fight that was laced with some controversial moments. I say, in the words of Robbie Lawler, “Let’s run it back.” Brandon Vera suffered his second straight defeat and second ever of his career against Fabricio Werdum. This was his “second chance” to prove that he belongs in the heavyweight division after the loss to Tim Sylvia last year. It wasn’t meant to be for “The Truth,” getting pounded out in the waning seconds of the opening frame. Werdum achieved full mount and was doing some damage, but Vera seemed to be weathering the storm. The referee, however, didn’t see it the same way, calling a halt to the bout perhaps a bit too soon. Vera was visibly upset and so were the fans. However, upon further review he was not doing much to improve his position even though he appeared to be “intelligently defending himself.” Regardless, the referee is there to ensure that the fighters remain safe and Vera apparently didn’t do enough to show that he could endure any more punishment. It could have gone either way and in this instance it didn’t go Vera’s. That’s two strikes for Vera at heavyweight and a tough road back to the top. But it only takes one sensational win to get things going again (see Frank Mir). He has said he can make the cut to light heavyweight but it seems too crowded right now in the 205-pound class. There’s no reason to make the drop at this point, but if he struggles his next time out there may not be another option. Werdum sets himself up nice for an eventual title shot and rematch against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira if “Minotauro” can get passed Mir on New Year’s Eve weekend. That’s a bit far away to sit idle. Therefore, he should take on the winner of Brock Lesnar and Heath Herring to determine the number one contender to challenge for the strap in early 2009. Congratulations to Matt Wiman and Antoni Hardonk for taking care of business on the under card portion of the card. Wiman took out a super tough competitor in Thiago Tavares and Hardonk smashed the better than average Eddie Sanchez. I didn’t see those results coming, either. All in all UFC 85 had just about everything: Upsets, finishes, controversy and storylines that will have an impact in the near future. For complete blow-by-blow coverage of UFC 85 click here. |
| Elite XC postpones ShoXC San Diego show on June 27 Posted: 08 Jun 2008 06:38 PM CDT
This is bad news considering the card for this show was shaping up nicely. New Elite XC high-profie signees Hector Lombard and Cyrile Diabate were both expected to make their promotion debuts on the Showtime telecast (in separate bouts). King of the Cage (KOTC) Middleweight Champion Keith Berry was also going to make history for the organization as the first KOTC champ to defend his title on a Sho XC or Elite XC card. The good news is that Elite XC officials are on the lookout for another place to hold the event, and will more than likely re-schedule for sometime in the not so distant future. We’ll keep you posted. |
| Early and often: Referee Dan Miragliotta strikes again in Brandon Vera fight Posted: 08 Jun 2008 09:59 AM CDT
– Brandon Vera talks about the decision of referee Dan Miragliotta to stop his fight against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85: “Bedlam” yesterday with just 15 seconds left in round one. Werdum had achieved full mount and was hammering “The Truth” with some serious shots; however, Vera was still in good shape. In fact, he said he was reassuring the referee throughout the exchange that he was “okay.” Miragliotta is the same referee who was essentially linked to all the controversial stoppages at Elite XC: “Primetime” last weekend. So did Miragliotta do the right thing, erring on the side of caution in the name of fighter safety or did he blow it? |
| UFC 85 bonuses for ‘Bedlam’ PPV fights Posted: 08 Jun 2008 09:42 AM CDT
And as is the case with all recent UFC shows the promotion rewarded certain fighters for their outstanding performances with cold hard cash. Here are the special fight bonuses for UFC 85:
Each fighter received $50,000 each for their efforts in addition to their respective base salaries, which we will more than likely not learn because the show took place overseas. It’s interesting that Alves was greased the extra scratch, considering he failed to make weight — something that never sits well with UFC President Dana White and the rest of the brass. Perhaps he made up for it with yet another crushing knee to end a fight in highlight-reel fashion. Congratulations goes out to Burns who submitted a very talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in his Octagon debut … on short notice. For complete UFC 85 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action click here. |
| Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves UFC 85 post-fight thoughts (Video) Posted: 08 Jun 2008 09:21 AM CDT |
The next Sho XC event scheduled for June 27, which was to be held outdoors at the Sycuan Casino and Resort, in the San Diego, Calif., area has been postponed because the promotion was having a hard time locking down the venue, according to 
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